Dispensers that dispense a product from a container have many uses. Typically, such dispensers have an outlet that is fluidly connected to the container to draw the product out of the container. The product may be mixed with a liquid, such as a diluting solution (e.g., water) to form a mixture, either before or after reaching the outlet. Such dispensers are often used for dispensing a disinfectant, sanitizer (e.g., Quik-Care™ aerosol hand sanitizer, Ecolab Inc.) and the like for cleaning or disinfecting in a facility. Such facilities may include industrial, food and beverage packaging facilities (e.g., food/beverage packaging facilities and restaurants), healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals), and other institutions and/or public areas (e.g., schools, office buildings etc.). Such dispensers may also be used in textile care industries (e.g., using laundry detergents), or in heavy industrial cleaning (e.g., machinery, industrial appliances). While quaternary ammonium compounds (sometimes referred to as “quat” disinfectant) have been typically used for disinfecting, such disinfectants require an exposure time of at least 10 minutes to interact with and destroy the cellular structure of microbial organisms. Other disinfectants such as peroxyacietic acid mixed with hydrogen peroxide forms a cleaning concentrate that can be diluted with water to form a mixture. Such a solution is typically more effective against most viruses and bacteria than quat disinfectants, which makes the peroxyacietic acid-hydrogen peroxide solution useful in many industrial (e.g., food packaging and beverage bottling plants) and healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals).
Concentrated disinfectants such as peroxyacietic acid may typically be stored in rigid plastic containers of sufficient thickness to safely contain the product to prevent accidental spills, and avoid contact with an operator disinfecting a facility. Such containers can be opaque bottles to prevent exposing the disinfecting product to light or other types of radiation (e.g., ultraviolet radiation) which may cause deterioration of the disinfectant. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/734,532, filed Dec. 7, 2012, relates to a system for handling liquid products, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, which describes a dispenser that may be used to dispense a cleaning solution using a product that undergoes degradation when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Such degradable products stored in opaque containers that may prevent visual inspection of the level of the product remaining in the container. Alternatively, the container itself may be hidden from view when positioned within a housing or hidden from view by a protective cover of a dispensing equipment.
As the product is dispensed, the level of the product remaining within the container may drop, until the container is eventually empty or nearly empty. Many cleaning, sanitizing and/or disinfecting operations may need a predetermined quantity of the product in the container. A predetermined quantity may be required to effectively clean and/or disinfect a facility. For instance, a certain volume or concentration of disinfectant may be necessary at minimum, to remove microorganisms in a facility. If the dispenser were to have less than the required minimum of product, cleaning, sanitizing and/or disinfecting may not be satisfactory. Regulatory authorities may also determine the use of a predetermined quantity and/or concentration of the product for performing an operation. Additionally, an operator may want to know the level of the product within the container, and when the level reaches below a predetermined threshold, the operator can have adequate quantity of replacement product stocked in the inventory. Alerting the user with information about the product level may also ensure that the operator has sufficient amount of product for an operation, and any downtime due to insufficient quantity of product is avoided. In addition, compliance with regulations for safe handling and disposal may require that the container includes less than a predetermined quantity of product prior to flushing out the product and/or rinsing the container. It may be beneficial for the operator to stay informed of the level of the product even if the container is not empty.